LAS CRUCES - The Las Cruces Public Schools spring semester of 2015 was filled with more drama than a high school hallway at lunch time.

The intrigue began Jan. 22, when an early morning snow storm dropped between 1 and 3 inches of snow on Las Cruces, and parents expressed their outrage with Las Cruces Public Schools' decision not to cancel school. As conditions deteriorated, LCPS officials decided to release elementary students at 12:30 p.m. and middle and high school students an hour later.

Superintendent Stan Rounds told the Sun-News the decision not to cancel school came after consulting with the New Mexico State Police and the Department of Transportation.

"They gave us the recommendation that we proceed, based on road conditions, and we let bus drivers know," Rounds said.

The following day, both agencies denied speaking with school officials in advance of the decision, and LCPS transportation chief Larry Altamirano was placed on paid administrative leave for reasons that weren’t specified. The district that day also revised its snow day protocol, giving Rounds direct access to contacts at the agencies.

Altamirano would return to work in April, reassigned to oversee energy education, but retired over the summer.

The episode exemplified what would be a year of twists and turns, as well as campaigns and conflicts, within the public school system.

New school board: Residents on Feb. 3 elected Maurilio “Maury” Castro and Edward Frank to the LCPS school board. The election dramatically shifted the ideological makeup of the board, which would go on to elect Maria Flores its president. Two weeks later, in its final act, the outgoing board voted 4-1 to extend the contract of Superintendent Stan Rounds for two years. Flores cast the only dissenting vote.

PARCC walkout: More than 500 LCPS middle school and high school students staged a walkout March 2 in opposition to standardized testing. The protest was planned to coincide with the first day of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC exam. Students joined thousands of other frustrated students throughout New Mexico and the United States who held similar protests as testing got underway.

The districtwide protests lasted most of the morning at most schools, though some students continued the walkout into the following days. The frustration felt by students and parents over excessive, high-stakes standardized testing also drove nearly 1,000 LCPS parents to opt their children out of the state-mandated test.

Teacher evaluations: The LCPS school board unanimously passed a resolution at its March 17 meeting stating that teachers’ use of sick days would not count against their teacher evaluations. The board, arguing that teachers could not be penalized for using their collectively bargained 10 sick days and two personal days, instructed Rounds to advise the state education department that absences would be reported beginning “after the 12 days of leave afforded by the current agreement ... are exhausted.”

The resolution set into motion a tug-of-war between the school board and the PED, which culminated with the state threatening to dissolve the board and seize control of the district. The board ultimately capitulated, and all teacher absences were reported to the state.

Budget woes: At an April 14 meeting of the LCPS school board, Chief Financial Officer Terry Dean told the board, "We've built a house we can no longer afford. In my professional opinion, the district could be bankrupt by the end of next fiscal year, if we don't correct our course." Dean’s comment set into motion a months-long scramble to shave $7.7 million from the 2015-16 operating budget.

Ultimately, the board approved a three-day furlough for all employees, saving the district $2.1 million — which, under pressure from employee unions, would be given back later in the year. They also postponed the replacement of a portion of school-owned vehicles, maintained a hiring freeze for non-critical positions, and realigned duties in Central Office.

LEAP days: The LCPS school board met in closed session on April 28, where they approved hiring an independent investigator to look into Rounds’ “conduct related to the Leading Edge Accelerated Program (LEAP) and its program management and service to students,” and decided to send a letter to Secretary of Education Hanna Skandera requesting $2.1 million in emergency supplemental funding.

At a May meeting, the board decided in closed session to defund the LEAP program, a popular alternative middle school overseen by Rounds’ fiancée Kathy Adams, for the coming year. The board’s actions violated the state’s Open Meetings Act, as well as the Public Education Department’s protocol for closing a school. Ultimately, the school was ordered to remain open.